Propagation: Is window light enough for germinating seeds?, 1 by

wrote:
I have 4 shelves purchased from Home Depot with brackets mounted on the wall in my office. They are 4ft long x 12" wide. Usually there are books and other things on them. When I sow seeds and need light, I empty the shelves and hang my shop light fixture with flourecent grow tubes from chains that are winded around the shelf above and attached with hooks to my light fixtures below. So far I only need one shelf but I most likely will need the others as well.

To grow your seedling on a window sill only work for houseplants that do not need the intense light that outdoor plants need. Not only is the light not enough, but even if it was further along in the season with a stronger sun, the heat would be too intense on a windowsill, even for houseplants. There is no movement of air to cool them.

I agree with edgeoftheworld

I usually sow hardy perennials in my coldframe in the fall. This years I decided to test some old seeds using the baggie (Deno) method, instead of wasting seeding mix. Surprisingly, all germinated in spite of their age. Some from 2002. Now I am on a roll, the reason for my light setup.

Yuck! Expecting 3-6" of snow, starting tonight, through Tues. At least my seeds in the coldframe will benefit by the cold. They were sown October 2008

Here is my setup that is getting crowed